DnA/Design and Architecture This epic image (pictured above) shows an inventive reincarnation of an abandoned Chinese quarry as an open-air library. Enclosed bookshelves line the stone, and concrete stairs have been installed to connect the different levels and stone platforms...
Some supermarkets now use biodegradable plastic bagsUrbanImages/Alamy Biodegradable plastics that get broken down into microplastics appear to damage soil and affect plant growth more than conventional ones, at least over the short term. Global plastic production reached 400 million tonnes...
Features like the leopard spots in the centre of this image could be signs of ancient lifeNASA/JPL-Caltech/MSSS NASA’s Perseverance rover has found a rock riddled with what may be signs of ancient life. The rock, nicknamed “Cheyava Falls” after a...
Huge stars collapsing or colliding create gamma ray burstsNASA Goddard Space Flight Center/ A. Simonnet, Sonoma State University The most powerful explosion astronomers have ever seen contains a mysterious signal thought impossible to exist. That signal gives us our first...
Researchers studied mice neurons in a part of the brain common to all mammalsKlein & Hubert/naturepl.com Scientists have identified neurons that are active when mouse pups interact with their mothers, appearing to reduce their distress. The same neurons may also...
In a recent column, I wrote about black holes. A curious reader sent in a letter asking some interesting follow-up questions about topics that I didn’t really have time to delve into, more specifically about the relationship between matter and...
Did the Step Pyramid of Djoser include a hydraulic lift?Peter Brown / Alamy The construction of ancient Egypt’s oldest known pyramid may have benefited from a water elevator capable of lifting 50 to 100 tonnes of stones at a time....
Muscle cells briefly stayed with astronauts aboard the International Space StationShutterstock / Artsiom P A week in the microgravity of space ages muscle cells so that their genetic activity looks similar to Earth-bound cells that have been ageing for years....
DeepMind’s AlphaProof AI can tackle a range of mathematical problemsGoogle DeepMind An AI from Google DeepMind has achieved a silver medal score at this year’s International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO), the first time any AI has made it to the podium....
The Shingrix shingles vaccineZUMA Press, Inc./Alamy The latest shingles vaccine may delay or possibly even prevent the onset of dementia more effectively than an older version. Being vaccinated against shingles has been linked to dementia protection before. Now, it seems...
